superlooper-nov 09

2009ChristmasBuyers Guide

USTRC INSIDER:Whats New in 2010

ALSO

Thanksgivingin Paradise?

NOV 09 Cover-aloha_Cover 10/13/09 2:21 PM Page 1

Dont let the bright colors fool you. Dummy roping is serious business! Classic and Rattler offer a full line of kid ropes,

each specially designed for dummy ropers of all ages. Kid tested by Junior Looper Champions, Classic and Rattler

Kid Ropes are built for serious competition or just plain fun No Kidding!

Were Not Kidding

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eal people, real results.R S11DF_HeelOMat_P_Layout 1 10/1/09 3:12 PM Page 1

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USTRC Championship Results44 Southern Colorado Classic54 Mesquite Classic62 Texas Plains Classic

On the Cover: Brandi Clementsearned this months cover photo.Clements of Odessa, TX captured thisbeautiful sunset only found on theHawiian Islands during a USTRCTeam Roping Event.

FEATURES8 Just the Way It Is by Ben Clements

10 USTRC Announcements

12 By the Numbers by John Findlay

16 Gold Plus Report by Shawn Vargas

20 USTRC Insider

24 Top Tips with Rickey Green

26 Cruel Girl Two Final Cruel Girl Regional Champs Named

28 Horsemanship Understanding Lead ChangesBy Chris Cox with Cynthia McFarland

32 Horse Health Wounded Warriors:Innovative Farrier Program

By Heather Thomas

38 USTRC On Tap

40 Roper US Open Standings

Guide

200970

07 TOC2_TOC 10/13/09 2:37 PM Page 7

for the wrong reasons. He wasnt afraid to admit where he waswrong. I sometimes struggle with that. He also spoke of doingwell and where he had been in the right when others werewrong. He is not a braggart he was just telling it like it is orwas. Needless to say, the conversation renewed my respect andopened my eyes. It made me realize just how important it is toforgive and how short life really is.

Ive explained this to you in order to make you think. Dontbe closed-minded and keep your eyes wide open. The world hasso much to offer and there is no reason to live in turmoil or tolet regret rule your life. There is also no reason to let whatsomeone says or does (intentional or not) overwhelm yourthoughts and harden your heart. Forgive them! You dont have to forget, but do forgive and let your heart heal. Sure you aregoing to get hurt at times, but when the real thing comes along,you dont want to miss out because you are closed up and not receptive.

If you mess up or do something stupid, learn from it. Laughit off and keep on going. The world is full of opportunity and lifetruly is what we make of it. I suggest you try to look at thingslike my 85-year-old buddy and just have the time of your life atwhatever you are doing. It will not only make you happier, but itwill overflow to others and make them happy as well. Be arealist, but be optimistic in every avenue of your life. If you failor if you get stuck, there is always a way out and there is alwayssomething better on the other side.

Put your faith in the Lord above and cast your worries uponHim. Open up and remember life is short, break the rules,forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably andnever regret anything that made you smile.

Life is short and there is a lot out there to absorb andexperience. I dont know about the breaking of the rules, but getout of your comfort zone and take a chance. Holding a grudgeonly creates turmoil within and is no good for anyone. Peopleare going to do things you dont like. That doesnt mean theymeant to, and it certainly doesnt mean they are bad people.

Kiss slowly, or in other words savor the moment. Cherishwhat is real and hold those that are close to you. Love truly andlet your love for others overflow. Laugh uncontrollably andlaugh often. It will do your heart, body, and mind good. Dontlive with regrets. We all do things we are not proud of, but thosethings are part of who we are. Keep you head up and moveforward in life. Dont let the little things get you down. There is alot to live for and we only have a short time, so make it oneawesome ride and one that you, as well as others, willremember and that is just the way it is. . .

Ben

NOVEMBER 2009

JJUUSSTT theWWaayy IT IS

Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile.That was a text message that I received from a very dear

friend of mine A friend that I havent talked to oftenenough lately. I read it and went quickly about my businessbecause I was extremely busy. The next day something drewme back to read the message again.

That little saying actually says a lot if you really think aboutit. I recently attended a party for my Grandmothers 80thbirthday. The event was a gathering of a conglomeration offolks. Some I knew, some I had known before, and some I hadnever met. It wasnt the most organized function I had everbeen to and it drove me absolutely nuts. I got to thinking whydid it matter if it was organized or not? It was just a gettogether and a time for people to reunite. It didnt have to beorganized, it served its purpose just fine and my Grandmotherthoroughly enjoyed it. That was all that mattered. It was notabout me. It was about people getting together, breaking therules, laughing, loving and reminiscing.

I met a man at her party I had known before, when I was alittle kid. He was about 85 or so and he was a person I canguarantee lived his life by the text message I got. He doesnthave one worry in the world and he takes things in stride. Heis not worried about what others think; he just rolls along anddoes what he wants. If you dont like it, then too bad and ifyou do, well that is great. He likes to have a good time andloves fun. I enjoyed meeting him again and he shed a newlight on things going on in my life. I walked away knowing Ineeded to do what I could do and do it the best I could. Youwill never please everyone, so just do what you think is best.All anyone can do is the best they can. In other words, laughuncontrollably and live with no regrets.

Shortly after the revelation of my text message, I had atwo-hour phone conversation with someone I had not talkedto in a long time. The man is someone I respect and althoughI dont agree with everything he does I do regard him as afriend. I hold the utmost reverence for his accomplishmentsand achievements. I have known this person for a while andhave been directly and indirectly involved with him almost allmy professional career. He has a lot of experience about lifeand business in general.

During this two-hour conversation I received a lot ofinsight. Not just about the subject we were discussing, butabout there being more to everything. He told me of timeswhere he had made mistakes and where he had done things

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SUPERLOOPER MAGAZINE / 9

DEPARTMENTS88 SSG Junior Looper

96 The Other Half by Gracie Mae

100 On the Edge of Common Senseby Baxter Black

102 Riding Herd by Lee Pitts

104 Sports Medicine Stable by Mark Duncan

106 Walt Woodard

108 SuperLooper Events Calendar

110 MarketPlace

169 Advertisers Index

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photo by Fred McClanahan, Jr.

SUPERLOOPER MAGAZINE2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400

Albuquerque, NM 87107

Advertising or Editorial:505/899-1870 fax: 505/792-5678

Produced and published by USTRC

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISINGUSTRC Editor: Ben ClementsAssociate Editor: Ryan Davis

Sales Manager & Event Advertising: John EnglishAdvertising Representatives:

Elizabeth DominickCustomer Service Representative: Jules Price

CIRCULATION & PRODUCTIONArt Director: Marcia Rackstraw

Production Coordinator: Violet Sue AndersonGraphic Designer: Doug Purdy

Administrative Assistant: Kathy Williams

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHY BYAllens Rodeo Photos

P. O. Box 270428, Flower Mound, TX 750271-800-438-8659 www.allensrodeophotos.com

November 2009 / Vol. 18, No. 11SuperLooper Magazine (ISSN 1069-5508,

USPS No. 009983)is pub lished monthly by Western Sports Publishing, Inc.,

2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400 Albuquerque, NM 87107

Subscription price: 1 yr. - $20. Periodicals Postage Paid at Albuquerque,

New Mexico and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2000 by Super Looper Magazine.

Material may not be used without permissionfrom the publisher. Deadline for editorial and

advertising is the 25th of the month,two months preceding issue date.

Advertising rates on request. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGE TO

SuperLooper Magazine c/o Western Sports Publishing, Inc.,

2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400 Albuquerque, NM 87107

Advertising claims are the sole responsibility of the advertiser, not SuperLooper Magazine.

09 Masthead_Masthead 10/13/09 1:09 PM Page 9

10 / NOVEMBER 2009

MENTSAANNNNOOUUNNCCEESome of you are reading

this while you are at theCinch USTRC NationalFinals of Team Roping(NFTR). For the 11thstraight year the Shoot-OutFund surpassed themillion-dollar mark as 2009Shoot-Out Fund grew to awhopping $1,475,500.Those of you at the CinchNFTR know how good theevent has gone and howexciting it has been to seepeople from all walks of lifewalk away with USTRCNational Championships. Ithas also been very excitingto have Cinch on board asthe title sponsor of thismonumental 20th NFTR.

If you could not attendthis year for whateverreason, you wont want tomiss it next year. Pull outthe calendar and mark itdown because the 2010NFTR is on the books forOctober 23-31, 2010. Thenew season also kicks intogear this month. The firstevent is the Laughlin TeamRoping Finals at the MojaveCrossing Event Center inFort Mohave, Arizona onNovember 20-22. Then overThanksgiving weekendthere are three great eventsin the Maui Classic,Mississippi Classic andColorado FallChampionships. Decemberkicks into gear with the OilCapital Stampede.

The New Year is alreadytaking shape and with thenew formats and newlystructured payout theopportunity for big moneyand a great time awaitsyou. Get yourself readybecause USTRC is excitedabout 2010 and the newand exciting things that aregoing on. See you at thenext event.

USTRC

$2M

1.9 M

1.8 M

1.7 M

1.6 M

1.5 M

1.4 M

1.3 M

1.2 M

1.1 M

$1M

900,000

800,000

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

TRIAD NumbersThe USTRC is taking the TRIAD

Classification System to the next power.Look for the Elite TRIAD System . All thechanges will go into effect on January 4,2010. It will take team roping to a newlevel. Read more about it in this issue.

StolenA 2008 USTRC Championship Gist

buckle was stolen out of Elton Heinestruck at this years West TexasChampionships in San Angelo, Texas. Itwas attached to an Indian beaded belt.If you have any information or knowwhere to find this buckle, please call theUSTRC at 254/968-0002 or Elton at 512/663-2862.

CorrectionThe September issue of SuperLooper

Magazine posted Riley Cole winning the5 and under division of the Jr. Loopercompetition at the West ArkansasClassic. The actual winner was RileyCrane. Congratulation again Riley onyour championship!

New PayoutsRopers, you asked for an easy to understand

and transparent payout structure and USTRC isbringing it. Effective November 2, 2009 USTRCwill payout 95% of the purse in the Average andthe remaining 5% to the fast time overall.

New Formats in 2010The payout structure has changed and

therefore the formats have, too. Read all about itin this issue.

Free Flex EarningsNew for 2010 All USTRC Gold Spur members

will receive $1,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings justfor purchasing their membership.

Gold Spur MembershipsEffective November 2, 2009 the USTRC Gold

Spur Membership dues will be $100.

Flex Earnings and Shoot-OutsTeam ropers remember USTRC Shoot-Outs

and Flex Earnings are one and the same. A USTRCNational Shoot-Out is worth $6,000 in USTRCFlex Earnings ($3,000 for each partner) and aUSTRC Regional Shoot-Out is worth $2,000 inUSTRC Flex Earnings ($1,000 for each partner).

The Ultimate Partner Finder!(Effective November 2, 2009 at all Sanctioned Events)

Need a partner? Try the USTRCs New Draw-In Option Its the ultimate PartnerFinder. Ropers may draw into any of the following divisions provided they are notalready entered in the division they wish to draw into and they meet the minimumclassification requirements.

#15 Handicap must be at least a #6 Header or a #7 Heeler#13 Handicap must be at least a #6 Header or a #6 Heeler#12 Handicap must be at least a #5 Header or a #6 Heeler#11 Handicap must be at least a #5 Header or a #5 Heeler#10 Handicap must be at least a #4 Header or a #5 Heeler# 9 Handicap must be at least a #4 Header or a #4 Heeler#12 Gold Plus with #10 Incentive must be at least a #4 Header or a #5 Heeler#8 is already a Pick/Draw Format

Ropers who choose the Draw-In Option will pay their side of the entry fee, which isdetermined by the format of the event.

Draw partners may choose one of three options:Option 1 Pay for the extra run and be eligible for all prize money, prizes and Shoot-Outs/Flex Earnings.

Option 2 Choose not to pay for the extra run and be eligible for only of the prizemoney up to $1,000 and forfeit any prizes and Shoot-Outs/ Flex Earnings.

Option 3 Decline the extra run.

10 Announcements_10 ANNOUNCEMENTS 10/12/09 4:16 PM Page 10

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12 / NOVEMBER 2009

USTRC

BY JOHN FINDLAYby theNNUUMMBBEERRSS

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the USTRCNational Finals of Team Roping in Numbers

As hopefully you are fully aware by now, this year is the 20th Anniversary of the USTRCNational Finals of Team Roping. Thisroping has come a long way in its coupleof decades and I am going to try tohumbly document, in numbers, andsome words, too, the progression over the years of this most well-known andprestigious of team ropings. One of thecritical stated goals of the USTRC wayback in 1990 was to develop a national

skill levels, and compete for braggingrights as the UNITED STATESCHAMPIONS. This event would highlightthe Team Roping year, and would beaccessible to working class ropers no costly circuits, no large membershipfees. . . . With these goals in mind, the United States Team RopingChampionships were born.

The National Finals has, indeed,become the highlight of the team ropingyear. Any roper that has ever attended any

championship of team roping Apremier, showcase event that wouldbecome the Mecca for team ropers allover the country. Here is a direct quotefrom the program of the 1991 Finals:

On January 1st of 1990, a group ofropers and contractors started off on what has got to be considered an historicventure. This group wanted to create aNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP where teamropers from all over the United Statescould come together in one arena, at all

eam Counts '90-'98 are approxima

Total Payout Team Count

$0

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

199019911992199319941995199619971998 1999200020012002200320042005200620072008

Year

Do

llars

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

# o

f Team

s

PART 2 NEXT MONTH

Part1

USTRC National Finals of Team RopingTotal Payout and Team Count 1990 - 2009

(Team Counts 90-98 are approximate)

12-14 By the Numbers2_Layout 1 10/12/09 4:44 PM Page 12

Year1992

Year1991

Year1990

National Finals event is fully aware of thatfact. So, for those of you that have been toOklahoma in the Fall, heres a little walkdown memory lane. For those of you thathavent, heres an encapsulated look at thegrowth and development of Americaspreeminent annual team roping event.

For each year youll find eight differentcategories. The first is the total payout ofthat particular Finals. Understand now,that our record keeping capacity hasimproved immeasurably over the years.We are now getting close to baseballstatistic proficiency when it comes totracking ropings and ropers. But back inthe 90s, well . . . we were not as good.Between flimsy paper records, sales of thecompany, data storage deficiency and thelike, the actual numbers before the late


90s were not necessarily available. I havehad to do a lot of digging in the oldarchives of the organization to try to piecetogether as much information as I could.With the help of old SuperLoopers, myvoluminous USTRC facts and figures file,other roping publications (like RopersSports News) and my somewhat suspectbut still prodigious memory, you havewhat you have. While I am not quite inthe same league as Arkie, Judy, Lynetteand Brenda, I have attended every Finalssince 1992. But, please take some of theearly numbers with a couple grains ofsalt. Believe it or not, SuperLooper mayhave been prone to just a wee bit ofhyperbole when it came to reporting theresults of each Finals. Rest assured,however, that after 1999, everything you

see you can take to the bank. Which iswhat a lot ropers have done over the years by collecting a share of the everexpanding payouts from each yearsNational Finals of Team Roping. A look at the accompanying chart willgraphically track just how payouts and the next category, teams, have risen over the years.

The second category is TotalParticipants. In the early years it ismeasured by either teams or contestants,depending on what number I could find.Next is the number of days over which theFinals ran followed by the esteemedropers that won the Open roping that yearand how much they won. It reads like a listof Whos Who in the professional teamroping world. After that I show which

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1990 $125,000 650 contestants 4 Charles Pogue & Steve Northcutt $10,500

Divisions#10

Century#6 COpen

Noted RopersA broken barrier took the team ofHatch and Kirt Jones out ofcontention. Kirt was the 16-year-old son ofdominant century roper Kress Jones.

Roping NotesContestants came from 22 states

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1991 $284,000 Over 2,000 ropers 5 Larry Harris & C.L. Morgan $8,000

DivisionsOpen #8

#12 Pro-Am #6 Novice#10

Roping NotesNo roping in history has ever drawn so many ropers, so many horsesand so much money at on place at one time... More than 2,000 roperscompeted for $388,000 in cash and prizes.

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1992 $779,500 2,800 teams 6 L.D. Hawkins & Nick Sarchett $15,000

Noted RopersCharlotta and Mark Fanning (Cowboy Gear, Guthrie OK) were 5th Average #12

Cody Guess won 4th in the Average heeling in #10 roping when he was 15.

Wayne Folmer and Colorados Tim Nelson won the first Open Shoot-Out which paid less than the OpenRoping ($15,000 to $6,500). It was quite differentfrom todays Shoot-Outs as it gathered all the winnersfrom all the USTRC sanctioned ropings. Braggingrights were more important than the first year cash.

Ropers Sports News, December 1990 -

As the United States

Team Roping Championships closed out its firs

t year, it was

obvious why this event was successful, the orga

nizers did what

they said they were going to do. They made the

classifications

even for everyone. They gave nice quality awar

ds, they paid big

bucks, they roped good cattle, they roped in th

e nicest facility in

the United States and they ran a professional s

how. But by far

the most important thing they did, they made

it easy for

everyone to have fun.

The United States Team RopingChampionships at the Lazy E Arenawere no exception to the rule, only skep-ticism kept this roping from easily hit-ting the quarter million dollar markthat the organizers had estimated astheir first year payoff. But when the dustsettled, there was little room for doubt . .. this concept is a winner and is des-tined to change the way a lot of folkslook at team roping.

DivisionsOpen

#12 Pro-AM#10 Amateur Century Open Century #7

#8#6

Open Shoot-Out

Roping NotesFrom Chuck Stocks, Publisher SuperLooper Magazine - Can it last? Can theUSTRC make its program work over the long haul? Well certainly nothingis for sure, but clearly more has happened in team roping during the last36 months than has happened in the entire horse industry in years.

Chuck Stocks - The 1992 United States Team Roping Championships broke every record that ever existed concerning team ropings. The payoffwent well over the million dollar mark which by now is old news. But more impressive was the attendance by 5,000 ropers and nearly 3,000enter once teams.

Noted RopersRobbie and Shain Sproul were 8th Average #10

Toni Tonozzi (Brets daddy) won the Century


Year1996

Year1994

Year1995

Year1993

14 / NOVEMBER 2009continued on page 94

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1993 $1,463,000 5,000 ropers 6 Charles Pogue & Bobby Harris $44,000

DivisionsOpen Preliminary #9 Shoot-OutOpen Shoot-Out #7 Preliminary

#11 Pro-Am Prelim #7 Shoot-Out#11 Pro-Am Shoot-Out #5 Preliminary

Century #5 Shoot-Out#9 Preliminary

Noted RopersDecember 1993SuperLoopershows a picture of 10-year-old KollinVanAhn roping adummy at the National Finals.

Roping NotesThe cloud created by the teams that did not getentered at the USTRC 1993 National Finals quickly roseas 5,000 team ropers from all over the United Statesconverged on the Lazy E Arena. With 1.5 million dollarsup for grabs, surely there would be big winners andmany disappointed ropers anxious for next year.

The Shoot-Out Fund for the year was $200,000.

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1994 $1,711,028 2,370 teams 7 Jake Barnes & Clay OBrien Cooper $39,800

DivisionsOpen Preliminary #9 PreliminaryOpen Shoot-Out #9 Shoot-Out#11 Preliminary #7 Preliminary#11 Shoot-Out #7 Shoot-Out

Century Preliminary #5 PreliminaryCentury Shoot-Out #5 Shoot-Out

Roping NotesLargest team roping in history. Event held first time at two locations - OKC and Guthrie. All week long,you could not drive past a motel, restaurant or filling station without seeing at least one and usuallyseveral pickups with every description of horse trailer attached. . . . the horse trailer traffic on the I-44bypass between OKC and Guthrie was a constant stream.

Jake and Clay also win Classic Rope Open bonuses for finishing first in Final World Standings for 1994.

First all-girl team to win a Finals Shoot-Out, Jodee Motsinger and Robin Bass from Florida in the #5.

In the minds of everyone on the USTRC staff associated with planning and production of the NationalFinals of Team Roping, the sight of two young ladies dancing in the arena was as fine a punctuationmark as could be placed on the end of the worlds first Two Million Dollar roping.

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1995 $2,079,400 approx. 2,800 teams 8 Tee Woolman & Rich Skelton $40,000

DivisionsOpen Preliminary #7 PreliminaryOpen Shoot-Out #7 Shoot-Out#11 Preliminary #6 Preliminary#11 Shoot-Out #6 Shoot-Out#9 Preliminary #5 Preliminary#9 Shoot-Out #5 Shoot-Out#8 Preliminary Century Preliminary#8 Shoot-Out Century Shoot-Out

Noted Ropers19-year-old Trevor Brazile places 4th inthe Average of the #11 Shoot-Out heelingfor Tom Ward. He would join the PRCA thenext year and the rest is history.

18-year-old Shain Sproul would take 9thin the Average of the same roping withManuel Gonzales and would also join thePRCA the next year.

Year Total Cash Payout Total Participants Number of Days Open Winners Open Payoff1996 $1,774,210 approx. 3,000 teams 8 Charles Pogue & Allen Bach $27,000

Noted RopersJoJo Lemondearns 9th in the#9 Shoot-OutAverage headingfor Scooter Nolenat fourteen yearsof age.

Roping NotesFirst VIP Roping held, a #8, won by Larry Thompson and Jim Savoini. First All Girl #7 Ropingheld won by Joyce Sewell and Bonnie Beers.

Ropers rolled into Oklahoma, America, from every part of the country where there is anyone whoswings a rope. There is no mistaking it, this is THE roping event of the year.

Charles Pogue and Allen Back finished first and fourth in the Average of the Open Shoot-Out

divisions were run at the roping. Its quiteinteresting to see how they have changedover the years. Then I have a category Icalled Noted Ropers. For the most part itpresents us with the names of a lot of

ropers Before They Were Famous, that is,recounting one of the first times theseyoung ropers showed up on the USTRCradar screen. In the last few years of theFinals, I bring up some prospective young

ropers who just might follow in the bootsof their aforementioned beforepredecessors. And finally in RopingNotes, some pertinent comments oneach particular Finals. Enjoy.

Roping NotesThe 1995 Finals was the

year when the USTRC added two more

divisions with hopes that this move would relieve

the crush of teams

trying to enter the more popular divisions.

Lazy E used an instant replay camera for appeals.

Bad idea. Tossed.

#7 Shoot-Out was again the largest single roping

in history, paying

out $388,000 in cash and $40,000 in prizes. Roy

Farr (Datil, NM)

and Jerome English (Thoreau, NM) became the firs

t $100,000

winners at the Finals.

One roper explained, I complainedabout those small jackpot-type

USTRC qualifiers last year, thisyear I am going to keep my

mouth shut and try to get theirShoot-Out spots.

Noted RopersCody Guess, now 16, finishes11th in theAverage of theOpen Shoot-Outwith ManuelGonzales

Divisions

Open Preliminary#6 Preliminary

Open Shoot-Out#6 Shoot-Out

#11 Preliminary#5 Preliminary

#11 Shoot-Out#5 Shoot-Out

#9 PreliminaryCentury Preliminary

#9 Shoot-OutCentury Shoot-Out

#8 Preliminary#10 Switchender

#8 Shoot-Out#8 VIP

#7 Preliminary#7 All-Girl

#7 Shoot-Out


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S11DF_FastBack_P_Layout 1 10/5/09 5:23 PM Page 1

16 / NOVEMBER 2009

USTRC

GGOOLLDDPPLLUUSS

by Shawn Vargas

IHello Team Ropers,

ts an understatement to say that thishas been a tough year for our

country, both here and abroad.There are some signs that our economyis starting to recover, but its takinglonger than any of us had hoped. Thatsaid, as weve wrapped up the entries forthe Cinch National Finals of TeamRoping (NFTR), its refreshing, if notremarkable, to hear how enthusiasticand positive USTRC members continueto be. Even though there are so manynegative issues in the world today,

ropers have managed to hold true totheir passion for the USTRC and thesport of team roping. Your commitmentis spirit-liftinghats off to you all!

As some of you are reaching into yourmailboxes to grab this issue of theSuperLooper Magazine, we are inOklahoma City and nearing the end ofthe 2009 Cinch NFTR. We have alreadycrowned several new NationalChampions and thus awarded thousandsof dollars in cash and prizes, whichincludes two fully loaded Dodge Mega

cab, dually trucks and two Case IH JX 70tractors. Needless to say, theres anabundance of happy team ropers in OKC.

The 2009 season, USTRCs 20th Imight add, has almost come and gone.Before it truly passes I want to thankeach and every one of you whosupported the Gold Plus program thisyear. We strive to give you the bestservice and welcome any input youmight have to make it even better. Twoof the Gold Plus services that you allseem to treasure are phone-in entries

continued on page 18

Abilene, Texas welcomed ropers to this years Texas Plains Classic where the New Mexico team of Stanley Dixon and Kress Jones took home the Gold Pluschampionship. They roped four head in 36.30 seconds to win $4,710 in cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold Plus National Shoot-Out worth $6,000 inUSTRC Flex Earnings.

PHOT

O BY

LON

E W

OLF

PHOT

OGRA

PHY

16, 18 Gold Plus_Layout 1 10/13/09 12:42 PM Page 16

S10DF-USSmklsT_P:Layout 1 9/3/08 8:51 AM Page 1

18 / NOVEMBER 2009

Mississippi Classic are the second set ofropings held Thanksgiving weekend.Also this year the Oil Capital Stampedecomes back to Tulsa, OK the firstweekend of December. There is a lot ofaction coming your way and with thenew payout structures and the newUSTRC formats, you wont want to missthese exciting events.

In closing, USTRC is very interestedin your feedback regarding all of thechanges for the 2010 season. Inaddition, please know that were here toanswer any question you might have, sodont hesitate to give us a call. Have agreat holiday season and remember youmust catch to win!

Adios,Shawn Vargas

USTRC

GGOOLLDDPPLLUUSS

c o n t i n u e d

and stall reservations. Generallyspeaking, they are the two main reasonsfor our phone conversations throughoutthe year, and to that point, I want tothank you for being so well organized.Its amazing how many entries can betaken in a day with everyone being soeasy to work with and I hope the processseems as seamless to you. Again thankyou for your cooperation and please let

me know your ideas of making the GoldPlus Program better.

The 2010 season is just days awayand I hope youre just as excited as weare to get it started. USTRC has somegreat things planned for the New Year,and if you havent already heard aboutthe changes, they are all detailed in thisissue. Hold onto your hat because thefirst event of the 2010 season is theLaughlin Finals in Fort Mohave, Arizona.The event dates are November 20 thruthe 22 so mark your calendars for one ofthe best ropings of the year. Rememberthe event will start each day at 9:00 a.m.Arizona time. Also, dont forget theColorado Fall Championships are heldthe same weekend in Loveland,Colorado. The Maui Classic and

Kris Parry and Ky OBerg roped four head in 36.10 seconds to takethe Gold Plus championship at the Mesquite Classic. The Utah teamearned $1,974 in cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold Plus NationalShoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.

New Mexico ropers, Travis Regensberg and Ernesto Salazarrolled north to win the Gold Plus roping at the Southern

Colorado Classic. The duo roped four head in 35.39 to win$3,854 in cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold Plus National

Shoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.

PHOT

O BY

HOR

SE T

ALES

PHO

TOGR

APHY

PHOT

O BY

SUN

I OLK

JER

16, 18 Gold Plus_Layout 1 10/13/09 12:44 PM Page 18

S11DF_MGMGrndH_P_Layout 1 9/30/09 4:45 PM Page 1

20 / NOVEMBER 2009

The USTRC is evolving with thetimes with some new and excitingchanges on the horizon for 2010.These changes bring the sport of teamroping into a new era and now more thanever theres reason for ropers toexperience the USTRC at its best. TheUSTRC is continually looking for ways toimprove the roping experience foreveryone. This year ropers can preparefor fair competition and moreopportunity to win than ever before, allin one package. The USTRC is proud toannounce that for 2010 it will implementthe payout structure ropers have beenasking for. A new payout structure alsorequires new event formats. These newformats will create better opportunitiesfor ropers to find competitive partners asthey vie for larger checks. Last but notleast, after five years of fine-tuning theTRIAD (Team Roping Information andData) System, in 2010 the USTRC willonce again raise the bar inClassifications!

2010 the USTRC PayoutTo understand the changes to the

payout, we first need to step back andreview the old structure. The previouspayout was meant to be all things to allropers. The purse was divided in severalways to accommodate old formats whileallowing more ropers a chance to win acheck. Though not a bad thing, spreadingthe money out made it more difficult forropers to do the math. It also made forsmaller checks.

The three things that reduced thecheck sizes, and frankly made the payouthard to understand, were the IncentiveAverage payout, the Rotation Fast Timepayout and the Extended payout, which

was based on a multiple of an entry feeand paid out to teams placing way downin the main average.

At one time ropers wanted theUSTRC to pay more places even thoughit meant smaller checks. Today ropersare asking the USTRC for bigger checksand fewer places. We hear you loud andclear! The USTRC will eliminate theextended payout, and change the fasttime pay from rotations to overall.These changes will leave more moneyin the average purse.

Addressing the issue of Incentive payis a more delicate matter. For manyropers the Incentive option gave themanother place to enter when they couldntfind a partner to max the roping. This isone of the reasons the Incentive optionbecame part of the formats several yearsago. Having said that, the USTRC nowfeels that by handicapping the divisionsthe Incentive option can be eliminatedbecause with seconds off ropers givingup a division are no longer at adisadvantage. An additional benefit isthat ropers will now be able to choosefrom a larger pool of competitivepartners. The money that was being paidout in the Incentive is added to theAverage. Now all ropers become morecompetitive for larger payouts with justas many options to enter, if not more. (Itshould be noted that the IncentiveOption will remain in the Open and GoldPlus Divisions. Look for a more detailedexplanation about the new formats lateron in this article.)

What ropers have been asking theUSTRC for is a payout structure that iseasy to understand and one that paysmore to the Average winners. Well, youasked and the USTRC listened. Effective

November 2, 2009 the USTRC willimplement a new payout that will apply95% of the purse to the Average and theremaining 5% to the fast time overall. So,there you have it, a payout structure thatis completely transparent and one thatpays more money to the Average winners.

Wow! That is exciting. Ropers can ropefor 95% of the purse money in theaverage. This will make the USTRCpayouts even bigger, giving ropers whatthey wantmore money!

For obvious reasons the USTRC hasleft the Incentive option in the Open andthe Gold Plus divisions. In fact, the payoutin the incentive of the Gold Plus hasworked so well the USTRC plans to use itin the Open Division. The incentivepayout will be based on the percentage ofIncentive teams entered in the roping andwill not exceed 30% of the Average purse.Like the Gold Plus division, the Openrelies heavily on the Incentive teams toboost team counts. Since its not possibleto create more Open teams, the USTRCfeels that by paying more money to theIncentive teams more Incentive teamswill enter and that will ultimately help theOpen ropers.

Team ropers of all levels get ready forlarger payouts at the USTRC events! theUSTRC wants you to understand thenew payout structure. If you have anyquestions please call the USTRCNational Office. Your input andfeedback is always appreciated.

2010 FormatsThe USTRC will implement some new

formats for the 2010 season. Thesechanges are sure to create a better ropingexperience for all ropers. A few years agothe USTRC implemented the handicap

Whats New in 2010:The USTRC Hits One Out of the Park

By Ben Clements

USTRC

IINNSSIIDDEERR

20-21, 98 Insider_26 Insider 10/12/09 4:43 PM Page 20

format in the #15 division. The changewas successful because with secondsoff more teams felt competitive. Thisyear the USTRC is incorporating thatsame logic into the #13, #12, #11, #10,and #9 divisions. Each of these divisionswill be handicapped one division down.The handicap format will allow ropersmore opportunity to find better partnersand provide more entry options thanever before. The bottom line is thatmore ropers will now be competitive forlarger payouts.

All divisions, including the #15, will bebased on a 4 steer average. Following arethe divisions and their respectivehandicaps:

#15 Handicap - #14 team will receive a1.5 second handicap subtracted afterthe 3rd round - #13 and below team willreceive a 3 second handicap subtractedafter the 3rd round

#13 Handicap - #12 and below team willreceive 1.5 second handicap subtractedafter the 3rd round





The USTRC has analyzed thousandsof runs and in the process looked at everyteam combination in every division andhas determined that 1.5 secondssubtracted after three steers makes it fairfor every one. The seconds off conceptisnt meant to give any team anadvantage or disadvantage. If appliedproperly the handicap simply levels theplaying field and thus allows each teamto rope within their ability.

In order to better satisfy the Openropers, the Open division will changeto a four-steer average and beprogressive after one steer. TheIncentive average will be determinedafter the first three rounds.

The #8 Division and the #12 Gold Plus

with a #10 Incentive will remain the sameand will continue to offer ropers the greatunique format of each.

TRIAD or should we say Elite TRIAD

No one will argue that Classificationsis the sports most controversial topic.The TRIAD system has been in place forfive years and although it has workedwell, behind the scenes the USTRC hascontinued its quest for perfection.Through extensive research and datamining, over 2 million runs have beenanalyzed from over 6100 events and morethan 31, 000 ropings. As impressive asthat may sound, having the data was onlythe first step in search of team ropingsHoly Grail.

The ability to interpret this vastamount of data is far more importantthan the data itself. Everyone involved inclassifications has always known WHATto do. The real problems sinceclassifications began are the HOW, theWHO and the WHEN. Thats been theUSTRCs mission for the past five years.

The data has enabled the USTRC toidentify competition patterns andtherefore calculate how each roper willcompete under all conditions. The TRIADanalysis considers every aspect of a teamroping competition including externalfactors such as, setup of events, arenaconditions and cattle to name a few. Inpart, these factors determine a ropersspeed and consistency and as a resultTRIAD is able to determine the ropersoverall ability to competethe HOW.Now the USTRC is able to identify roperswith either a competitive advantage ordisadvantage based solely on theirindividual performancethe WHO. Theevolution of TRIAD has produced animpartial, objective and consistentmethod of assigning classifications.Reaching this milestone now enables theUSTRC to unveil the new Elite TRIADsystemthe WHEN.

A ropers experience at an event haseverything to do with how competitivethey feel among their peers. They expectthe classification system to level theplaying field, said Kirk Bray, president ofthe USTRC. The Elite TRIAD system willeven further improve the ropingexperience for the USTRC members.

The goal of the USTRC is to makethe journey through classifications as

comfortable as possible, added GaryPoythress founder of Rodeo ComputerServices. We are doing everythingpossible to turn a negative into apositive. An even classification playingfield gives every roper their best chanceto compete.

By definition, Elite ropers are thosethat show a competitive advantage intheir classification, but are not a fullclassification adjustment off. That said,it is important to identify who the Eliteropers are to further level the playing field.

Ropers demonstrating a competitiveadvantage would move to Elite status.Ropers demonstrating a competitivedisadvantage would also move to Elitestatus, but with a lower classification.For example, everyone knows the good#5 header who is always at the top of hisgame and therefore always gets the bestpartners, but would struggle as an #6.Likewise, everyone knows the struggling#5 header who has trouble findingpartners and therefore spends moretime watching than competing, butwould dominate as an #4. Both are Eliteropers. One is an Elite #5 and the otheran Elite #4.

The vast majority of ropers will notreceive an Elite classification, but willbenefit from the Elite TRIAD Systemnonetheless due to increased access toElite ropers as partners.

Effective January 4, 2010, the TRIADnumber scale will include the followingclassification levels: Headers - #1, #2, #3,#4, Elite #4, #5, Elite #5, #6, Elite #6, #7, #8and #9, Heelers - #1, #2, #3, #4, Elite #4,#5, Elite #5, #6, Elite #6, #7, Elite #7, #8,Elite #8, #9 and #10. Two ropers with Elitestatus may enter together, but must giveup a division to do so. For example anElite #5 and an Elite #6 would not beeligible to enter the #11 Division, butcould compete in the #12 Division. AnElite #5 and an #6 would however beeligible to compete in the #11 Division. Inaddition, the #10 Division will be cappedat an Elite #6 and the #9 Division will becapped at an Elite #5. The #8 Division willremain capped at an #4, meaning Elite #4ropers will not be allowed to enter.

The Elite TRIAD System provides theperformance based mechanism thatfinally eliminates the compressionproblem that has haunted classifications

SUPERLOOPER MAGAZINE / 21continued on page 98

20-21, 98 Insider_26 Insider 10/12/09 4:44 PM Page 21

YOU CANT ROPE OFF OF IT,BUT ITS A LOT EASIER TO STEER.

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Farmall, one of the most famous names in tractor history, is back with 20 versatile models ranging from 31 to 105 hp. Farmall tractors are powerful multitasking machines that quickly tackle your long list of chores. Visit the USTRC web site for a rebate form or contact your Case IH dealer today to take advantage of these great offers. Check them out:

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One for every occasion.Sierra Stable Blankets300g fiberfill insulation provides warmth for your horse without the bulk. Contoured back and cut-back withers and darts over the hind end. Outer shell allows moisture from the horse to escape. Smooth nylon inner lining will not grab hair. Soft, durable nylon web belly and leg straps sewn into reinforced patches for secure fit. Starting at $69.99.

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when you buy two or more. Offer expires 11-30-09. Code HBFS1109.FREE Shipping

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S11DF_NatlRprs_P_Layout 1 10/12/09 10:27 AM Page 1

24 / NOVEMBER 2009

Rickey Greenwith

Horses Talk

you to let you put the halter on. So when you go tocatch that horse and he walks or trots away, you need topay attention to what he is trying to tell you. Then youhave the horse that is always hard to catch and all of asudden today he just stands there or comes to you. Payattention, something could be wrong and its your jobto find out what.

Theres something I see at schools all the time. In theheading box, I see horses that pop their hind end outand wont get straight to score. Sometimes this can bethe header pulling on the reins too hard, popping himout, or it can be a sign of soreness in the hindquarters.What Ill do at my schools is watch and see when theheader catches the steer if the horse pops his hip to theright when he sets the steer. If he does, Ill check andsee what the header is doing with his left arm, becauseif the header is setting his horse by running his left armalong his rib cage that will make him pop out. But if theheader is lifting his horse in front of the horn andholding him in, his butt popping out would be adefinite sign of soreness.

A heel horse that wont stop or hold the jerk isalmost always a sign of soreness. Or, if this horse justisnt built to stop, you dont need him anyway. A heelhorse that quarters off to the left can come from theheeler reining him off or grabbing him in the backcinch with his left leg, or it can be that he is sore in theright shoulder or withers.

What about a horse that all of a sudden while yourewarming him up, he feels sluggish - hes not normal,hes not running like he usually does. Try not to respondby just sticking the spurs in him. Check it out,something could be wrong.

The other day my daughters horse wasnt running inthe poles and barrels, which is not normal for thishorse. You usually have got to hold him from runningtoo hard. So my ignorant reaction was to tell her to gether spurs on. So the next run, he ran but came out

fter 45 years of riding horses and lovin everyminute of it, I still have trouble understanding

what my horse is telling me. Kelly and I always say we wish they could talk and

tell us whats wrong. Then we say they arespeaking, but weve got to learn how tolisten. I would like to share some situations

that I have seen at my schools, and been through myself,to help you be aware of things that might come up as ateam roping horse owner.

Horses are like children, sometimes they dont dowhats best for them. Be aware of the signs of belly ache orcolic. Know your horses habits - like after he eats hisgrain, does he like to lay out in the morning sun? So youwalk by and see him laying down, and you dont thinkanything of it. But then you notice that there is sand ormud all over him and he has been rolling. So you need togo get him up, listen to his belly for rumble sounds, checkhis gums to see if theyre pink or white and see how hesfeeling. Sometimes its a false alarm, sometimes not.

Maybe you notice him lying out in themid-day sun. Go get him up and checkit out. Dont just say, Look at thatstupid horse lying out in the sun.Know their habits.

There are other signs you can pickup on when something is wrong. Youknow your horse is a pig, but you throwhim his grain and he walks away. Iveheard people say, Hell eat when hegets hungry, and they never think thatsomething could be wrong. Hes tryingto tell you something. Always noticewhen you catch your horse how heacts, because that can be a great wayfor your horse to communicate that heis either lame, sore or has a belly ache.Some horses you go to catch come to

24-25 Rickey Green_Project1 10/6/09 3:33 PM Page 24

packing a leg. You see, I didnt think it through. A horse whosewhole makeup is that he wants to run, isnt going to startloping because hes trying to change his lifestyle.

So, anyway, we took him to the vet and he was sore in thefront end and in the hocks. We really need to stop and thinkwhen our horses are giving us these clues, doing the best theycan to communicate. You see, my daughters horse was doingthe best he could do to make a barrel run, to work the best hecould and tell us that he was in pain. We just need to use ourheads and use what we know instead of falling asleep and notkeeping up on our part of the bargain as managers.

Your Friend,Rickey Green1st Peter 1:23


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he two final Cruel Girl Regional Champions weredetermined over the Labor Day weekend inSeptember at the two final Regional Championshipsin Cheyenne, WY and Tunica, MS. The two girls willreceive an extra $750 for their efforts plus a slot in the

Cruel Girl Championships at the Cinch National Finals ofTeam Roping. Shannon McDaniel won the award for thesecond straight year at Tunicas Southeast Regional. As wellas she has been roping the last couple years, being Cruel Girl

Regional or National Champion may get to be ahabit. You will notice in the accompanying

Top 30 Cruel Girl Standings, Shannonis currently in second place with

a total of $33,959. Soobviously she has done

more this year than justearning Cruel GirlCrowns.

A few of her best effortsthis year have included: A fourth in the Average of

the Wildfire All Girl roping for$4,875. That was with her

favorite female partner, BeckyCanizzaro (Folsom, LA)

High Plains Regional Southeast RegionalSep. 4-7, 2009 Sep. 4-7, 2009Cheyenne, WY Tunica, MS

Lynette Satterfield Shannon McDanielParachute, CO Deville, LA

Smoke, Lynette Satterfield and Buck

26 / NOVEMBER 2009

Shannon McDaniel

26-27 Cruel Girl_Layout 1 10/12/09 1:16 PM Page 26


1. $100,000

Joann Merritt

Greeley, CO

2. 33,959

Shannon G. McDanie

l Deville, LA

3. 29,242

Debbie P. Fabrizio

Pueblo, CO

4. 22,005

Jimmi Jo Montera

Greeley, CO

5. 21,599

Lydia Ulibarri

Las Vegas, NM

6. 20,472

Rebecca A. Neuhaus

Huntsville, TX

7. 19,382

Pam C. Kennedy

Templeton, CA

8. 17,989

Cassie M. Walker

Golden Valley, AZ

9. 17,655

Alyssa Zuniga

Jourdanton, TX

10. 17,263

Joanie K. Ivy

Amarillo, TX

11. 16,841

Hannah White

Dekalb, TX

12. 15,739

Annette K. Hinkle

Tularosa, NM

13. 15,635

Anna M. Gregory

Amarillo, TX

14. 15,379

Connie M. Hiatt

Red Bluff, CA

15. 14,908

Becky S. Cannizzaro

Folsom, LA

16. 14,574

Tracie L. Doud

Stephenville, TX

17. 13,665

Amber Pate

Buffalo, TX

18. 13,528

Jessica H. Connelley

Phoenix, AZ

19. 13,025

Tibba Smith

Stephenville, TX

20. 13,008

LaRae Branham

Phoenix, AZ

21. 12,625

Jacque L. Woolman

Llano, TX

22. 12,417

Barrie L. Smith

Stephenville, TX

23. 12,048

Suzie M. Johnson

Brodhead, WI

24. 11,750

Molly J. Hepper

Fort Klamath, OR

25. 11,750

Jessica Hemphill

Tulelake, CA

26. 11,355

Westi Hicks

Datil, NM

27. 11,175

Robin M. Gasser

Wickenburg, AZ

28. 11,088

Mandi Pate

Buffalo, TX

29. 10,632

Jessica M. Miller

Madison, KS

30. 10,593

Jayme R. Marcrum

Springtown, TX

Current Top 30 Cru

el Girl Standings

Third in the Average of the WildfireBusinessmans roping with Jeff Poole (Crawford,TX) for $7,000.

Second in the Average of the Gold Plus Ropingat the Eastern Regional for $1,911, again, withBecky.

First in the Average of the #13 at the MuddyRiver Classic for $2,090 with Dakota Lair Shipp(Hernando, FL).

To win the Cruel Girl crown,Shannon picked up threechecks at Tunica plus someFlex Earnings by placing fifthin the Incentive of the #11Preliminary with (who would haveguessed), the matchless Ms.Cannizzaro. The checks looked like this:

Short go fast time in the #10 Preliminary withRoger Hunt (Franklintown, LA) for $300

Ninth in the Average of the #10 Preliminarywith Roger for $450.

Second in the Average of #11 Shoot-Out withhubby Harvey for $3,159.

Needless to say, Shannons dancecard looks like a Philadelphia phonebook for the Cinch National Finals. Shehas two partners in every single Shoot-Out from the #10 to the #13 includingBOTH Gold Plus Ropings plus one morein the #9. Miss Becky figures into fourof those plus Mr. McDaniel has someand the rest are populated by much ofthe cream of Southeastern ropers.

Shannon, you may remember, runsa great little A&W Drive-In in Deville,LA, the McDaniels home town. Andwhile the Drive-In is holding its own,the McDaniels are hoping for a goodFinals to pad their pocketbooks inwhat has been a slow year for Harveysbusiness. Hes a truck driver in thesand and gravel business and as youmight know, that business has been hithard. So a profitable week in OklahomaCity would sure help tide them over.

Bullet will be Shannons mount forthe Finals. The little bay has beentaking good care of our RegionalChamp. But even though its Shannonshorse, Miss Becky must think shes BobBaffert or something. She acts like thefamous thoroughbred running horsetrainer in that shes in charge of theanimal. She keeps it at her place, keepshim legged up, properly fed, wormed,vaccinated, and so forth. Becky thentrailers the horse to the roping,unloads him, saddles him, hands thereins to Shannon and says, Ill take

him back home when youre done.Hows that for service?

Our High Plains Regional Cruel GirlChampion is making her first appearanceon the Cruel Girl charts, but she just maybe rising fast with a bullet. LynetteSatterfield hails from Parachute, COwhich is a small town along I-70 on thewestern slope of the Rocky Mountains afew miles northeast of Grand Junction.She is like a lot of female ropers of hergeneration (without mentioning her age,lets just say she has an 18 year-old son),she got into roping by marriage. Herhusband roped and her in-laws ropedand one day about 10 years ago, she gottired of watching. And over the years shehas won a little money here and a littlemoney there but finally got her biggestlick in Labor Day weekend in Cheyenne.Heading for her husband Jeff, Lynettetook the #9 Shoot-Out title along with theguaranteed Regional purse of $10,000.How sweet it is!

With a Shoot-Out spot and a Cruel Girlspot in hand, she and Jeff will definitelybe in Oklahoma City for the CinchNational Finals. And shell be roping inthe Cruel Girl with one of those in-laws,sister-in-law Monica Smith, and of coursewith Jeff in the #9. Lynette will be bringing

her two current mounts, Rock and Smoke.In the picture, thats Rock on the right andSmoke on the left. (And if you look closely,you might see a cowboy silhouette in thebackground.) The Satterfields got bigRock (hes 16 hands) about three yearsago from Chris and Janie Freed. Jeff usedhim first but Lynette took him over abouta year ago. And if the #9 Shoot-Out winmeans anything, shell probably stickingin that saddle a little while longer.

When shes not roping, Lynette followsin the snow-boot steps of many otherfellow Coloradans, she loves to hit theslopes. In her case, its on a snowboard.Youll find her weekends at one of thegreat Colorado ski areas with her son, alsoan avid snowboarder. During the week,shes in Rifle, CO where she manages thegeneral merchandise department for aKrogers food store. They must think shedoes a good job since shes been there forsixteen years. Oh, and she also does alittle barrel racing but thats just for fun.Lynette is hoping that her name will bemoved up on that Cruel Girl chart with aneven bigger bullet in next monthsSuperLooper. That will be the one wherethe story will read that she and Monicahave won beautiful Martin Cruel Girltrophy saddles. Hey, it could happen!

26-27 Cruel Girl_Layout 1 10/12/09 1:18 PM Page 27

When it comes to lead

changes, many of the

problems occur because

people are trying to

MAKE it happen instead

of setting things up to

LET it happen.

28 / NOVEMBER 2009

Understanding Lead ChangesBy Chris Cox with Cynthia McFarland

In the performance horse, leads areessential if the horse is to havebalance, power and collection.Like other competitive riders, ropers

can run into trouble if their horses arenton the correct lead at the correct time.

For example, when the heeler leavesthe box, if the steer pushes the heeler tothe right, its almost a given that thehorse will be on the right lead becauseof his speed and balance. However, oncethe steer is roped, the horse shouldmake the change to his left lead beforehe comes around the corner, if hes notalready on the left lead. This should bedone naturally without any fight orstruggle between horse and rider, as thatwill negatively impact the ropers swing.

One of the problems many ropershave is trying to address this situationwith leads in the middle of a run. Thereal key to success is the preparation wedo at home to maintain control of thehorses body and to develop softness.

setting the body up and moving theweight from the right side to the left orvice versa. Once we set the body up tomove from one side to the other, thehorse will make these lead changescomfortably and in a relaxed, natural way,just as he would without a rider. Thehorse will initiate the lead change; all wehave to do is set it up properly.

We do this by staying on the outsideedge of the seat and supporting thehorses front end with the reins. Elevatethe shoulders gently by moving youroutside leg and pushing thehindquarters to the inside. Themomentum of the horses body weightshifting and his weight transferring tothat inside hind leg will cause him topick up the lead correctly.

Resist the urge to lean to the inside!Not only can this unbalance the horse,but it will push his hindquarters out ofthe drive line and hell either pick up thewrong lead, or hell crossfire, which iswhen hes on one lead in front but on theopposite lead behind.

People often expect a horse to makethe lead change immediately on the firststride as soon as they cue the horse. Whena horse is young or green, you need to bepatient. Sometimes youll have to waitthree, four, or even five strides for thehorse to make the change. Once heunderstands, he will get quicker aboutpicking it up.

Set it Up, Dont Force itAs we evolve as horsemen, we can find

more and more refined techniques tohelp us achieve the results were lookingfor. There have been many differentsuggestions over the years on teachinglead changes, and over time, weve seen avariety of techniques. One method thatwas commonly used was to pull thehorses head to the outside and push hisbody over so the horse would pick up thecorrect lead. The big flaw with thismethod is that it puts the horse offbalance, instantly making it more difficultfor him to pick up that inside lead.

When it comes to lead changes, manyof the problems occur because people aretrying to MAKE it happen instead ofsetting things up to LET it happen.Whenever you try to make it happen, thehorse has a tendency to resist and fight.Hell speed up or elevate and either way,its not a natural movement.

Lead changes are just a transition of

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Steps to Mastering the ChangeThere are several exercises a rider can

practice to master changing leadscorrectly and maintaining balance.Among the most important is teachingthe horse to yield his hindquarters toyour leg.

As ropers, most of us dont use ourlegs enough when we ride our horses.With lead changes, it is essential that weuse our legs to control the horses body.The riders hand on the reins shouldsupport the horses head and shoulders,while the leg moves the horses ribcageand hindquarters.

Understanding how to move thehorses hindquarters is so important.This is a vital part of lead changes andshouldnt be overlooked. Thehindquarters are actually the easiestpart of the horse to move, yet manyriders focus too much on the front endwhen the solution lies with the hindend. Being able to position thehindquarters is the secret to picking upthe correct lead.

With your leg in position #3 (the backgirth area), work with your horse so thathe moves his hind end to give to thepressure from your leg. At the same time,you want to hold rein pressure so that hisnose curves toward your leg. This is theinitial step and part of a maintenance

program that will cause the horse to yieldand get soft on both sides.

As your horse progresses, you shouldbe able to keep the horses head and neckstraight, but still move his hindquarterswith your leg. This will allow you toseparate the hind end from the shouldersso that the horse pivots off the forehand.

Practice this exercise at a standstillfirst. Then practice at a walk and workon moving the horses hindquartersfrom side to side while walking along.After you can do this at the walk, youcan work up to doing the same thing ata trot. When you have mastered it at thetrot, you can bring the horses nose tothe inside and also keep his hip to theinside. This will keep the horsesshoulder to the outside.

When Im doing dry work, Ill practicebending the horse off my leg and movinghis hip to the inside. Its a myth that weshould only do this on one side. The horsehas to learn to bend and give on bothsides so you can control his body at anygiven time. Granted, we are always goingto the left when roping, but there will stillbe times when you have to pick up thehorses body and move it to either side.

Horses tend to fret if you just work onone side. Gaining and maintainingsoftness on both sides will help relax thehorses mind, as well as keep both sides

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Take the time to work on lead changes when

you arent under the pressure of competition.


30 / NOVEMBER 2009

Up Close with Chris Cox

Born in Florida and ranch-raised inAustralia, Chris returned to the UnitedStates in 1986 to make a career ofworking with horses. Years of workinghorseback on the ranch nearQueensland gave Chris a healthy respectfor the horses ability and intelligence,and helped him develop his ownmethods of individualized training.

Active in the cutting horse world as

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of his body balanced.A very useful exercise is to pick up

the horses shoulder to the outsidewhile keeping his hind end to theinside. This can help a lot of heelers. Bykeeping the driveline of thehindquarters to the inside, it will beeasier to pick up the shoulders.

Too many times we ride our horsefrom the front, when we should reallybe riding from the back. Its always thehind end that dictates the power anddirection of the horse. We can get intotoo much of a fight with the front end,when we need to be focusing on thehind end first.

Both headers and heelers need topractice the same exercises. On theheading side, if a horse has a tendencyto drop his shoulder, many riders worry

about the front end. We need toremember that when the hind end iskicked out of the driveline, this is whatallows the horse to drop his shoulder inthe first place. If you can keep the horsetraveling straight with his hindquartersunderneath him as you run to the steer,the shoulder will automatically takecare of itself. Again, this comes back tothinking about what that hind end isdoing first.

Most of us try to do the trainingwhen were roping because we seesomething that needs improvement orchanging, but thats not really fair tothe horse.or to ourselves. The truth isthat well have the most success if weprepare and train when we really havetime to work with our horse, not whenwere competing. We need to learn how

to separate our roping skills frommaintaining our horsemanship skills.

Pick some time when you can justgo work with your horse and not havethe pressure of trying to rope a steer inthe fastest time. Too often our horsessuffer because were being competitiveropers and not horsemen. For thehorses sake, it shouldnt be that way.

There may be times when you haveto stop and correct the horse in themiddle of the run, and at home, theres nothing wrong with doing this. Youllfind that all of these techniques canbe slowed down and practiced byusing a mechanical roping device. Thebeauty of this is that, unlike using livecattle, it allows you to control thesituation so you can build on yourspeed and precision.

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both a trainer and competitor, Chris hastrained a variety of breeds for differentdisciplines. He also loves to rope, havingbeen into calf roping in the past, and inmore recent years, team roping. Heparticipates in the Reno Invitationaleach year and plans to host an annualinvitational roping at his own ranch. Hewill also be holding horsemanshipclinics for team ropers designed to

prevent and solve problems with ropehorses and to help riders bettermaintain the competition rope horse.

Chris and his wife, Barbara, and theirdaughter, Charley, live on their DiamondDouble C Ranch in Mineral Wells, Texas.Chris travels around the worldappearing at expos, conducting clinicsand horsemanship demonstrations. HisCome Ride the Journey tour takes himto cities across the U.S. each year. Thistwo-time Road to the Horse Championoffers week-long intensivehorsemanship clinics at his Texas ranch,and has a regular horsemanshipprogram on RFD-TV.

Western Horseman has released Ridethe Journey, by Chris Cox with CynthiaMcFarland, a 225-page book packedwith step-by-step exercises and colorphotos that details Chris practicalmethods and training techniques. Visitwww.chris-cox.com or call Chris CoxHorsemanship Company at 1-888-81-HORSE for information on upcomingclinic and course dates, expoappearances, equipment, books andtraining DVDs.



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32 / NOVEMBER 2009

Horseshoes are more than agame for some of the soldiersreturning home from tours ofduty overseas. Today farriery is one ofseveral courses offered, to learn tradesthat will help them go back to civilian life.A novel course in Colorado Springs,Colorado involves 8 soldiers learninghorseshoeing skills to earn a certificate infarrier science. Jim Becka, workingthrough Pikes Peak Community College,is teaching the course, which is part ofthe AvoTech (Army Vocational Technical)Program in the Wounded Warriorsprogram. The Air Force AcademysEquestrian Center and Pikes PeakCommunity College have teamed up forthis, with funding from the WoundedWarriors program to help the soldiersreturning home from Iraq. There are avariety of courses offered, including EMTtraining, computer classes and the farrierscience course.

Becka says this is a wonderfulopportunity. The Air Force AcademyEquestrian Center donated the spaceand horses for us to work on, and PikesPeak Community College hired me asinstructor, got the books and tools forthe students, and handled theenrollment, he says.

I was an instructor for the OBC

(Officer Basic Course) in 1985-86 so Ialready had some experience teachingmilitary personnel. But it wasnt until Irelocated my horse shoeing business toColorado that I became involved with thepresent program. I moved out here fromIllinois a year and a half ago. My step-children go to the Air Force Academyhere, so I happened to be at the rightplace at the right time, he explains. Wewere at the Equestrian Center looking fora place to board our horse, anddiscovered they were starting thisprogram and needed an instructor.

Billy Jack Barrett who runs theEquestrian Center was instrumental inputting the Wounded Warriors program together.

He went to Fort Carson and gotsoldiers signed up for the farrier sciencecourse. The Wounded Warriors programincludes equine psychotherapy, so thesesoldiers have already been aroundhorses. It was an easy jump for some ofthem to want to go into a career withhorses, says Becka.

He has 8 students in his class, whowill finish with 252 hours of coursework. The class meets 3 days a week(Monday, Wednesday and Friday), 5hours a day. The students shod their firsthorse July 23.

First I taught them about theanatomy of the horse, and blacksmithingskills. Its a lot of hands-on experience.Theyve done forge work and are learningto make their own shoes, Becka says.

There are more than 300 horses at theEquestrian Center, 50 of which are rentedout for trail rides and are at Beckasdisposal to work on.

In many accredited courses thestudents dont have very many horsesthey can actually look at or work on, sothis is very advantageous for us, he says.

There is also a lot of lecture time. Heuses many visual aids, and does somepainting on horses to show students thehorses anatomywhere the bones andligaments are.

They can see things 3 dimensionaland not just 2-dimensional in a picture,

HORSEHEALTH

Wounded Warriors:Innovative Farrier ProgramBy Heather Thomas

Instructor, Jim Becka with his farrier sciencestudents who are part of the Air Force AcademysEquestrian Center and Pikes Peak CommunityCollege Wounded Warriors program.

32-33 Horse Health_Layout 1 10/12/09 4:47 PM Page 32

The soldiers are very enthusiastic about theirclass and their instructor. Sergeant Shannon Steelehas been to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once.

My plan was to attend a few trade schoolsand start going to college; then I would alwayshave the trade school education to fall back on.But after entering this course, Id like to shoehorses as a profession.

He began riding horses 9 months ago, andrealized he wanted to be around horses and workwith them, so when this class came along he wasexcited about it.

I didnt have a horse background, but I starteddating a barrel racer and became interested inhorses. She has 18 horses; she trains her own horsesand some outside horses, and gives lessons, saysSteele. Her interest in horses was contagious, andSteele was enthusiastic when he had an opportunityto take the farrier science class.

Its a great class. Often I stay late, after class, soI can continue learning. If there are horses Jim has toshoe after class, I stick around and hell show thingswe need to know. Most of the students end upstaying, when they can, says Steele.

Theres a lot to learn about shoeing, and I feelthat the more I can get under a horse, or watchsomeone do it, the more I will learn. Jim is a greatteacher. Some of us from the Army have learningdisabilities because of our injuries. A couple studentshave TBI (traumatic brain injuries) and a few, likemyself, have PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). Itsharder to keep our attention and keep us focused.Everyone really loves the class, and Jim makes iteasier for us all to stay focused, explains Steele.

He really cares about what he does. You canlearn a lot from people who care about their work.

They take the extra time to show you things, andpass along their enthusiasm, says Steele.

I feel that I will always keep in touch with JimBecka. If we have any questions later on down theroad, hes told the class that we can ask him foradvice. We can take pictures of what we do or whatwe think needs to be done with a foot, and e-mailthe photos to him, and he can send us informationback. If hes ever in our area he can swing in andtake a look at our work and give advice. Its reallynice to know that he will do that for us, says Steele.

Hes done a lot of work with horses that haveinjuries, doing rehabilitation. I like that aspect, aswell. Some hoof problems can be hard to fix. Forsomeone to go out there and tackle those challengesand try to fix them, is someone I want to stand nextto. Hes not afraid to fail; he will always trysomething to help the horse. This definitely showshow much he cares about horses.

Cindy Galvin is the only female student. Shefound out about the program through the WTU(Warrior Transition Unit). I did three tours of duty inthe Army and got back about a year ago. I amrecovering from an injury and its taken awhile, butnow I am now doing very well, says Galvin.

She does not feel awkward at being the only girlin the class. I was usually the only female in my jobin the military, working with ammunition, blowingthings up. So I am used to being the only female. Theguys treat me like an equal, just like they do in themilitary, she says.

Ive been working with horses for a long time,and when I heard about this program I jumped rightonto it. This course teaches us about the horsesthemselvestheir structure, how the horse moves.We learn how to clean feet, how to stand under the

when we are talking about bones,shoulder blades, weight distribution, etc.We have a couple horses we paint up sothey can see this. They can visualizevarious points on the horse, andconformational challenges, more readilythan from a book. Theyve seen it on thepicture of a horses skeleton, but where isit when hes moving? Using charcoal andchalk to draw the bones on a horsemakes it much easier for them to learn,says Becka.

We have a whole stable for our work,with 8 anvils, and we share 5 propaneforges. We have the whole gamut ofequipment we need. The students donthave to do much sharing of tools ortaking turns. When they did their firstshoeing we brought in 2 horses and eachstudent had a foot to shoe, says Becka.

He is very excited about the

Wounded Warrior program. We wantto make sure more people know aboutthis class by the next course, and makeit bigger and broader, says Becka. Ifenough people sign up they may addon another instructor.

This is a certificate course, just likemany other shoeing schools. It willgive a certain level of knowledgeand experience, and a certainlevel of ability. The students haveto pass this course to mysatisfaction, however, in order toget the certificate. This willensure that theyve had a certainnumber of hours in classroom,forge work, working on horses,etc. and could begin apprenticingunder any farrier.

I take this part of it to heart,because my name and Pikes Peak

Community College will be on thecertificate. I cant stress enough howimportant this is to me, says Becka. Hewants to be able to stand behind hisstudents and their work. My interest inthis program is what I am doing for thelove of horses, the love of shoeing, andcertainly for my fellow soldiers. n


horse, how to use the tools and how to blacksmith,how to put the shoes on, how not to get hurt. Safetyis a big issue, she says.

We learn how to make the shoes, and differenttypes of shoes for various purposes. Shoeing isdefinitely very physically challenging. Its a hard job.When I first started I was surprised it was thisdifficult, but thats ok. I am adapting well. As soldiers,we learn how to adapt. The military is greatbackground for taking on a new challenge likeshoeing horses!

When we put on our first shoes, it took us a bitof time, but we did it, and I liked our results. I amvery proud of this accomplishment, she says. It wasa good feeling to know she was able to handle it.

She very much appreciates the instructor. Heanswers every single question, goes into detail, andworks with our learning disabilities. Four of us arefrom the Wounded Warriors and have learningdisabilities because of our injuries. Most of us havebrain injuries so we are a little slower than theaverage person, and have different skill sets in ourvarious disabilities. He works with us so we can graspthe concepts and understand what he is teaching us.He has the patience to make sure we can accomplishwhat we set out to do, says Galvin.

Jim works with us extensively and even afterclass because with our injuries we have medicalappointments and things we have to go to, missingpart of the class. If that happens we stay after classand he works with us on a one to one basis or insmaller groups so we get the things we missed. He isvery accommodating, and loves to teachand isvery good at it. He makes sure that everyoneunderstands, and if we dont he breaks it down intosimpler pieces so we can understand it.

STUDENT COMMENTS

32-33 Horse Health_Layout 1 10/12/09 4:48 PM Page 33

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36 / NOVEMBER 2009

Brady Theater and the IMAX offermovies at their very best. Visitors cantake in the aquarium, the air and spacemuseum, and the zoo. Clubs such asBrookside or the Blue Dome Districtprovide a fun and exciting nightlife.Utica Square offers fashionableshopping and antiques abound alongCherry Street. One thing for certain,there is an endless array of fun andentertainment to keep ropers busy afterthe roping finishes up each day.

If gaming is in your blood, Tulsacasinos offer a jackpot of poker tables,blackjack and other casino tables plusexciting slots and electronic games.Open twenty-four hours a day, all yearlong, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,the River Spirit Casino and the OsageMillion Dollar Elm Casino are open for

It has sometimes been said thatTulsa is older than Oklahoma itself.Often called the Oil Capitol of theWorld and the Birthplace of Route 66,Tulsa, Oklahoma is the second largestcity in the state. Tulsa has not only beena history maker in the past but has beena great preserver of the history of thearea for many, many years.

Tulsa will roll out the red carpet toUSTRC team ropers on the first weekendof December when it kicks off the OilCapitol Stampede December 4- 6, 2009.If ropers are looking for a good weekendwith some excellent USTRC teamroping, coupled with lots to do and see,December should be your time to takein Oklahoma at its best.

Ropers can plan some time to visitthe worlds largest collection of art andartifacts of the American West or theItalia Renaissance collections at one offive U.S. museums housed in a historicalmansion with formal gardens located inTulsa. Regardless of your interest, be itNative American Culture, the oil and gasindustry or a fine look at the settlementof Oklahoma and its quest towardstatehood, Tulsa offers a surprising lookat what the state is all about.

From excellen

superlooper-nov 09

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